Gefitinib in Treating Patients With Stage I, Stage II, or Stage III Esophageal Cancer That Can Be Removed By Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically confirmed squamous cell or adenocarcinoma of the thoracic esophagus

Resectable, localized disease with or without metastases in local lymph nodes (T1, T2, or T3; any N; M0)
Stage I-III disease
No known distant metastases
No cervical-esophageal tumors (upper border < 18 cm from the incisor teeth)
No supraclavicular metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Performance status

ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy

Not specified

Hematopoietic

Adequate bone marrow function

Hepatic

Adequate hepatic function
No unstable or uncompensated hepatic disease

Renal

Creatinine ≤ grade 2 by Common Toxicity Criteria
Adequate renal function
No unstable or uncompensated renal disease

Cardiovascular

No unstable or uncompensated cardiac disease

Pulmonary

No clinically active interstitial lung disease unless it is asymptomatic with chronic stable radiographic changes
No unstable or uncompensated respiratory disease

Other

Not pregnant or nursing
Fertile patients must use effective contraception
No known hypersensitivity to gefitinib or any of the excipients
No other malignancy within the past 2 years except basal cell carcinoma or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
No evidence of severe or uncontrolled systemic disease
No other significant clinical disorder or laboratory finding that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Endocrine therapy

Concurrent stable-dose steroids allowed

Surgery

Recovered from any prior oncologic or other major surgery

Other

More than 30 days since prior nonapproved or investigational drug
No prior therapy for this or any other malignancy
No concurrent phenytoin, carbamazepine, barbiturates, rifampin, or Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort)